Published: July 14, 2008 10:22 pm            

Biggest tests still ahead

Dolphins prep for top rival, big meet

Charles Todd has overseen the Dalton Dolphins during the past decade through a rise to the top that includes a Chattanooga Area Swim League City Meet title in 2006 and the team’s current streak of 29 straight dual meet victories in the CASL’s Blue Division.

But if the Dolphins intend to extend that run, they’ll have to do it with Todd — not to mention several of the team’s most talented swimmers — a few hours away at another meet. And it will all be on the line this Thursday against Signal Mountain, Dalton’s top rival.

“Our goal is to go undefeated,” said Todd, whose Dolphins have compiled a 6-0 record this summer. “When we looked at the schedule, we said, ‘We’ve got the Signal Mountain meet at the wrong time.’ But if the team gets together and focuses and swims out of their minds, we could still beat them.

“That would be a real nice treat for me to be in Savannah and get a phone call saying we beat them in Signal Mountain. I’ll wait for that phone call.”

Todd will be absent because he will be coaching, along with assistant Olga Davis, more than a dozen Dolphins who also participate with the Carpet Capital Aquatics Club’s year-round Makos squad. While they’re at the 14-and-under age group state meet — a long-course format, they’ll swim 50-meter races instead of the typical 25-yard sprints of the Dolphins — those who remain behind will travel north to face the Green Giants.

The Dolphins won the first head-to-head meet of the season with the defending City Meet champions, 421-403, at home on June 23.

It might take some breakout performances this time to keep the streak alive, but Todd has already seen some nice surprises from the Dolphins this summer.

Among them are the emergence of young talents like Emilio and Raul Valdez, as well as Oscar Chenard, a trio from the 8-and-under boys division who have helped continue to build the program’s depth.

Although it usually takes time for a swimmer to develop into a major contributor, the Valdez brothers have been able to make the jump quickly due to their participation in year-round swimming, Todd said. Oscar has made an even bigger jump, having gone from spending last summer in the club’s “Learn to Swim” program to competition this year.

“We’re actually loaded with a lot of nice surprises,” Todd said. “It’s hard to list them all.”

Diving is becoming a strong suit for the Dolphins, too, Todd said, with the 15 who compete for the team possibly making a run at finishing as one of the top three groups when the City Meet begins with their competition on July 23.

It’s just another layer of talent for the Dolphins to display as they finish their season — after Signal Mountain, they’ll also host a makeup meet against Colonial Shores on July 22 — and prepare for the City Meet, which wraps with two days of swimming at Chattanooga’s Warner Park on July 25-26.

Todd said his team will prepare for that weekend like the year-round team would a championship meet, tapering — scaling back the practice schedule — and shaving down in hopes of turning in top-notch times when it matters most.

“The City Meet is the big event around here,” Todd said.

What will be key for the Dolphins then is matching the depth of Signal Mountain, the Blue Division’s other big club.

While the Green Giants have often had overwhelming numbers that challenged Dalton in the past when it came to the City Meet, where the entry and points system can be worked to the advantage of a larger club, the Dolphins are catching up and likely to enter a similar number to Signal Mountain this year.

But first they’ll have to face their rivals head-on once more in a rivalry that has helped both programs push themselves in recent seasons after Signal Mountain reigned the CASL for a decade.

“It’s pretty friendly,” Todd said. “We know their kids from year-round swimming. But for 10 years before we started winning, they won everything. They get a lot of private school swimmers from Chattanooga and they’re usually really strong, so it’s been nice for our kids to be able to go up there and beat them.”

If they can do it this week, even without Todd around, the coach knows it will be one more step forward for the Dolphins.

        

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